Off-duty nurse stopped to help blaze victims

A nurse who works at Blackpool Victoria Hospital has been praised for coming to the aid of the victims of a blaze.

A second hand electrical goods shop was destroyed and a house next door badly damaged in the fire in Accrington,

Thirty firefighters and six engines tackled the blaze which led to the street being evacuated.

But it was off-duty Vic nurse Laurie Fielding who was singled out for praise.

The 31-year-old mum-of-one said: “I was driving down Blackburn Road when I saw two fire engines and a hell of a lot of smoke. I saw two people stood there, a man with clothes on, and a woman wearing just a dressing gown and slippers.

“There was nobody with them because obviously the firefighters were busy, so I pulled over to see if there was anything I could do.”

Miss Fielding gave the woman, who was coughing and complaining of a sore throat, her mobile phone, coat, and scarf to use.

“She also asked if I could put her cat in my car, so I did that too,” said Laurie.